Package kit



June 25, 1968 ND S ET AL 4 3,389,784

PACKAGE KIT Filed Oct. 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS KLAASHE/VDrQ/C/(S y J'Ol /N 7. SOJA ATTOQ/VEY June 25, 1968 HENDR|cK$ ET AL3,389,784

PACKAGE KIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20, 1967 I INVENTORSA/EA/DR/C/(S l/LAAs A 7' TORNE y United States Patent 3,389,784 PACKAGEKIT Klaas Hendricks, Granada Hills, and John T. Soja, Sherman Oaks,Calif., assignors to Rocket Jet Engineering Corporation, Glendale,Calif., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No.550,225, May 16, 1966. This application Oct. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 676,9813 Claims. (Cl. 206-47) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A survival kit isdescribed herein which constitutes a package of different itemsnecessary for survival. The package is formed by a folded flexible web,and the items are mounted on the web by means of an adhesive coating. Anapertured foam plastic pad is provided between the items and theadhesive coating so that the amount of adherence between the individualitems and the adhesive coating can be controlled.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 550,225 filed May 16,1966, now abandoned.

This invention relates in general to first aid and survival kits.

Domestic first aid kits, military survival kits, and packages ofmiscellaneous parts for other civilian and military purposes have beenprovided in box-like containers with and without the benefit ofpartitions and other means for keeping the contents of the kit separatedin reasonable order. Some kits are simply provided in the form of a box'full of miscellaneous loose items.

Kits of this type are generally used under stress conditions, whethercivilian or military. It is usually the case that a particular item isdesired among the multiplicity of items, and delay is both dangerous andannoying. Furthermore, particularly with survival kit equipment, many ofthe individual items are essential to comfort and the actual survival ofthe user. Hence, it is disastrous if one or more items is dropped fromthe kit and lost in the sea, or in dense earth cover growth, whether theloss is occasioned by lack of knowledge that it has fallen from the kit,or simply cannot be found after being dropped.

It, is an object of this invention to provide a kit whereinthemultiplicity of commodity packages are held adhesively bound to abase sheet in order to prevent their accidental separation from the kit.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide strongadhesive retention of such commodity packages, but to provide acontrolled degree of adherence.

Again, noting the fact that survival kits are used under emergencyconditions, it is unacceptable to have a particularly-desired itemresist separation from the base sheet due to an over-tight retention bythe adhesive layer. Under certain conditions, the adhesive material maybind more tightly to the item than is desired. Age will cause a firmingof the adhesion and a separation becomes more difiicult. Hence, the useris faced with frustration of delay and effort under trying conditions inorder to separate the particular item from an adhesive sheet, if mereadhesion is employed without control.

Accordingly, it is a still further object of this invention to provideboth a controlled adhesion and finger grip areas to facilitate theremoval of the item from the backing sheet.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the best mode contemplated for the present invention isdisclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an illustration of a survival kit as carried on the leg ofan air crewman;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the container open to reveal a package kit on theinterior;

FIGURE 3 is an illustration of a secondary use for the package kitcontainer;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the kit opened revealing the contents heldadhesively to the surface thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a section taken through line 7-7 of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURES 8 and 9 are perspective views of a modified package kit.

Referring to the drawing, a kit 10 is shown strapped to the upper legand belt 15 of an airman by means of a strap 12 and a strap 13respectively.

In FIGURE 2, the kit 10 is shown composed of a pair of nested pan-shapedmembers 14 and 16, with a package kit 20 made according to the principleof this invention enclosed therein.

In packaging kits, whether for military or civilian use, a compactconstruction and maximum usefulness is essential to provide the smallestpossible volume and weight. A water bottle is a desired item in asurvival kit. In order that no extra room be used to hold a folded waterbag, a container 22 is provided to hold the actual folded kit, indicatedby reference number 24 in FIGURE 2. The container 22 is a plastic baghaving side panels 26 and 28, removably joinable at the top by means ofinner fitting flexible tongue and groove seal of conventionalconstruction.

In order to provide maximum usefulness of the container 22, a belt loop30 is secured on the back panel 26. This belt loop enables the bag to befilled with water and secured to the belt 31 of the airman substantiallyas shown in FIGURE 3.

The package kit 24 is preferably composed of a flexible web of woven orsheet material as indicated by the reference character 32 in FIGURE 5.The kit 24 has top and bottom marginal edges 62 and side marginal edges64. A plurality of hinge axes 66 extend between the top and bottom edges62. The axes 66 are disposed in substantially parallel relation to eachother and the axes divide the kit into a plurality of panels 68 ofsubstantially equal size and shape. The surface of the web 32 is coatedwith a strongly-adhering, pressure-sensitive layer 34. This Web 32, withthe pressure-sensitive material 34, will then serve as a base sheet uponwhich a multiplicity of items, such as a tube 36 as shown in FIGURE 5may adhere. However, it has been found that after a period of time,particularly under conditions wherein the adhesive has been heated andcooled, the adhesion to the package may be come overly strong, and thetotal area of the package is such that full adhesion to the entiresurface will give a total resistance force to separation beyond thatwhich a weakened man might care to exert, but in any event is annoying.

Accordingly, a cover layer of synthetic foam, indicated by referencecharacter 38, is placed over the surface of the adhesive, but isperforated by a plurality ofregularlyspaced openings 40 which expose apart of the adhesive material.

For heavy items, which cannot be supported by the small openings thusremaining, a portion of the foam 38 may be removed in larger blocksindicated by reference character 42 in FIGURE 5. A small pliers andblocks of survival cocoa are examples of such heavy items. The openings40 and 42, however, are spaced from the hinge axes 66 so that portionsof the adhesive layer 34 that are exposed through the openings 40 and 42do not become stuck together at the hinge axis when the kit is folded asin FIGURE 2.

By this construction, a controlled amount of adhesion may be obtained inthat the bulk of items to be handled in a survival or first aid kit maybe sufficiently adhered in the number of openings 40 over which the itemwill bridge, such that they will be adhered firmly enough to thesupporting base sheet 32 that they will not fall freely from the kit.Nevertheless, a reasonable amount of directly applied force will causethe separation. Furthermore, note that the tube 36 overlays an area ofthe foam pad 38, and, therefore, the fingers of the person using the kitmay find a gripping place to begin the force to separate the desireditem.

The FIGURE 7 illustrates the manner of compression of the resilient padaround the area of the openings 40 to allow this adhesion, with thenon-adhering overhang.

The foam pad 38 serves the further function of cushioning the variousitems in Order that they will not move against one another to the samedegree that mere packaging in a group would cause damage.

The criterion of the correct amount of adhesive opening provided for aparticular item to counteract the force of gravity is to consider theseparation force which would take place if the base sheet 32 were foldedinto a compact package as shown in FIGURE 2, and then allowed to dropopen as one end of the sheet is grasped. This action will produce someinertia induced force in each item, and it is essential that the amountof inertia force thus produced will not allow the item to fall free ofthe adhesive material and thus become lost.

The modified package kit shown in FIGURES 8 and 9 is indicated generallyas 50. The latter kit may also be composed of a flexible web of a wovenor sheet material as indicated by the reference character 52. The latterembodiment is composed of but two panels, adapted to be folded in thecenter.

As in the previous embodiment, the surface of the web 52 is coated withan adhesive pressure-sensitive layer 54. A cover of foam, or spongerubber, 56, suitably apertured is placed over the adhesive layer 54.

Sheets of foil 58 are secured along the center line of the kit. They mayserve as signalling reflectors, and may be formed into containers,utensils, and the like for the collecting and preparing of food andother sustenance materials. A chart 60 is placed on the outer face ofeach of the panels formed by the web 52. This chart provides anindication of the placement of each of the items in the kit and is mostconvenient in permitting the individual items to be rapidly located andremoved.

The items on the individual panels may be sealed in a transparentplastic envelope for protection from deterioration. Also, accessiblepockets may be provided on the panels to permit other items to be added,depending upon the localities in which the kits are to be used. Plasticseals o the pp yp may e sed. o n e 1.110.1 ists and to permit accessthereto whenever desired.

Whereas the present invention has been shown and described herein inwhat is conceived to be the best mode contemplated, it is recognizedthat departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention,which is, therefore, not to be limited'to the details disclosed herein,but is to be afforded the full'scope of the invention as hereinafterclaimed.

We claim: 1. A sunival package for protecting and storing articlescomprising:

a web of flexible material having pairs of opposite marginal edges, acoating of pressure sensitive adhesive on one surface of said web.

. a cover layer superimposed on said web, said cover layer being acontinous sheet of resilient flexible material and having a plurality ofopenings therethrough which expose portions of said adhesive coating,v

said web having a hinge axis extending between one of said pairs ofmarginal edges, said cover layer ex-- tending continuously along saidhinge axis and said openings being spaced on opposite sides of saidaxis, and

a plurality of individual items secured on the surface of said coverlayer by adhesion to said coating at said openings while bridging theopenings and depressing and deforming the cover layer, whereby said webmay be folded along said hinge axis with said items maintaining exposedportions of said coating separated and said cover layer acting as acushion for said items. 1

2. A survival package according to claim 1 including a plurality ofbinge axes in addition to said axis extend ing between said one pair ofedges, said axes and said axis being disposed in substantially parallelrelation across said web, whereby said web may be folded with theopposite surface of said web exposed on the Outside of said package.

3. A survival package according to claim 2 wherein said hinge axes andsaid hinge axis divide said web into a plurality of panels ofsubstantially equal size and shape.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,628,711 2/1953 Flannery l5034XR FOREIGN PATENTS 838,659 6/1960 Great Britain.

ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner.

F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner.

